A New Reign
by purinsesu-sereniti
Summary: What if Princess Serenity and her guardians had survived the fall of the moon kingdom? What if the princess instead became queen and ruled over the restored Moon Kingdom without Endymion at her side? A piece of fanart on tumblr gave me the idea- keep your eyes open for various updates to this, it's something I want to expand on in the near future!


Loneliness was heavy; heavy like a cloak, heavy like a fog.

The young woman seated on the balcony could not help but to sigh, her shoulders curving inward with the weight of her emotions. She had been out there for what felt like hours- for so long that her legs had begun to fall asleep beneath her. Shifting, another sigh escaped and she leaned forwards, her palms cupping her cheeks, elbows propped up onto her thighs, blue eyes staring out at the expanse of space before her. She had been there for hours, for days even, she'd lost track of the time a long time ago. A sword was propped up against the railing, it's silver glint harsh against her eyes as she looked upon it, wanting nothing more than to throw it away. Swords.. Fighting… Blood… It was all coming back to her now. Her hands slid over her face as she began to cry; great, terrible sobs racking her frame as everything came pouring out of her.

All around her was destruction; her home, her palace was destroyed. Her guardians badly injured, her mother gone. Her prince dead. She was all alone. It had all happened so very fast… Endymion had come, they had been in the gardens when the alarm began to sound. Then the sky had darkened and a great being appeared above their heads. A shudder ran the length of her spine as she recalled the sight with ease, blue eyes filling with tears. He had stood before her, his sword drawn, his words now lost to her… _Protect you…_ That was all that she could recall of his final words to her. She buried her face into her knees, her gown tattered and blood-stained. The maids that lived had tried to coax her from the gown and into a fresh one, but she'd not so much as moved a muscle and eventually they'd given up. Everything was different now and she knew deep down she had to rise up, had to put things right. Somehow. Lifting her face, she ran the back of her hand over her eyes, wiping away the tear tracks that trailed her pale cheeks. The crescent moon on her brow shimmered as she rose to her feet, the anguish still quite apparent in her eyes.

The thought of plunging that sword into her chest had occurred to her more than once; she reached out for it, hesitantly but reaching all the same, and she took it by the hilt. It was heavy, far too heavy for her to even think about swinging about. She thought of Endymion, of how he had looked with the sword sheathed at his side, with it in his hands. A heavy sigh escaped and she set the sword back down, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the blade. Nothing yet felt real… To think that Endymion was dead. Her _mother_ was dead. Her guardians were dying. She felt her heart skip and beat and her knees threatened to buckle beneath her weight. Everything was lost to her.

No… Despite it all, something had to be done.

Turning her back to the chaos below, the princess returned to her rooms; this particular side of the palace was the only one left in tact. She strode down the corridor, taking a single left that placed her right outside of two white, marble double doors. Reaching out, the doors opened at the presence of her hand and she stepped inside, allowing the doors to fall closed behind her. At the head of the room was great marble table, intricately embossed with gold; atop it, the tall and slender form of a woman, who's long silver locks trailed over the side of the table to the floor. Taking a deep breath, the princess made her way to the body, fighting back against the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Her mother lay still and cold beneath a sheer, yet crystalline sheet of ivory, and it too trailed to the floor from off the marble table. Her hands were folded across her abdomen and grasped between them was a stick of pink and gold, with a small yet oh-so powerful gem atop the crescent shaped piece. The ginzuishou. Blue eyes blinked slowly as she stared at the crystal, momentarily wrestling with what she was about to do. But then a memory from her childhood, a memory of the time her mother had first shown her the ginzuishou came to her mind and she knew without a doubt what she had to do.

Reaching out, she took hold of the Moon Stick and slipped it from her mother's grasp; the wand was top heavy and she fought for a moment to find the proper way to hold it. The crystal was full of enormous power, power that she wasn't so sure she could control. Her mother had only just died from using it… Would she die as well? Did it even matter? She thought of her four beloved guardians as they fought for their lives somewhere in the palace.. They were all that she had left now. And she all they had. No, she would do this and do it right. At the very least she could save their lives and restore the palace, right?

Clutching tightly to the Moon Stick, she made her way back out of the palace and into the destruction that was the gardens. Everything was destroyed, as well as everything on that eastern side of the palace. There was nothing left but the ruins. Amongst it all she could make out every spot that held a memory- the fountain where she and Endymion had first shared a kiss. The beds of flowers that she'd navigated with her guardians, pausing to make crowns of every kind of flower. The bench where she and her mother would sit and talk over everything and anything. Tears filled her eyes and she closed them, a single tear trailing the curve of her cheek. It dripped from her face and landed upon the ginzuishou, which immediately began to react; the flicker was soft and warm at first, but then it was growing, expanding. She could feel the power flowing through her and it was then that she knew exactly what to do.

 _Please… Ginzuishou, please help me…_ She prayed to the crystal in her hands as she raised her hands up, the light growing and growing. It flooded the land and all around her things were changing: the power to do anything was right at her fingertips. _Please… My guardians… My home…_ The silver light engulfed the ruins of the once great castle began to rise once more. Deep in the castle, where the four guardians lay, the light pierced the room and began to fill them with power. As it flowed through their veins, their eyes began to open and it was her they could hear… Calling them… Calling them back from death's grasp. "Princess…" The yellow clad Senshi murmured as she rose to her feet, her blue eyes darting from face to face. "Our princess is alive!"

As the light began to fade, she could feel her strength begin to leave her; she heard the approaching footsteps and so she turned as her arms lowered, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Her four guardians raced towards her, their familiar vocals crying out her name in unison. "Serenity!" Never had anything ever sounded so sweet. As she hit her knees they were around her, breaking her fall and at once Venus had her arms around her, tears streaming down both of their faces. They were a tangle of limbs as they came together. "You saved us." Venus murmured into her ear as she brought the girl's face close to her own, tears shimmering in her blue eyes. "My queen."

Serenity swallowed and nodded, realizing at that moment that she was indeed, now the queen. She allowed her guardians to rise her up from the ground and they all turned to look at their newly restored palace, its every detail the same as it had been before the battle. Slipping her hands into Venus' and Mars', she gave both a squeeze before stepping forward, a new look to her once innocent features. The four guardians dropped to their knees at her feet, their hands raised up in a gesture of fealty. "Queen." They all chorused, looking up with tears shining in their eyes as a smile touched her lips, brightening her like a flame. The Moon Stick was still tightly clutched in her hand as she turned back to face her palace, knowing without a doubt that things would never again be the same. But she would have to do the best that she could. For her mother, for Endymion. For those who still yet lived.

This would all be for them.


End file.
